Switching to Biology, 2/2 junior year.

[Gibs]

First and foremost: I am really sorry if this question has been asked before.

I am a college student who has switched from Computer Science, to now Biology, and I start my biology classes next semester, which will be my second semester within my third year. I realized I didn't want to be a programmer or anything within that field, and while I know it looks fishy, I had always wanted to be a doctor, however I was always afraid to "go for it" even though I have always had an incredible interest in science-based courses. I am 20 years old, and regardless of whether I stay computer science or not, I will be going over the traditional 4-year time span. I have been an English major (freshman), a computer science major(1.5 sophomore-junior), and now a Biology major.

So my question(s): Will medical schools take me less seriously if I take 6-6.5 years to get a bachelors in biology (minor in chemistry)? Also, will it harm my chances of getting into a medical school as I know there are certain procedures to applying (such as sending in an application junior year)?

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[Gibs]

*bump*

I see that I keep getting a lot of views, however no replies. Any information you can give will be helpful, to me and others. Did you have a similar situation?

The reason I ask this is because I see that a lot of people stick around for a couple extra years after earning their bachelors in order to fill their pre-reqs for medical school. What I am asking is if medical schools would mind me taking 6-6.5 years in order to get a biology major/chem minor while at the same time getting all my medical school pre-reqs (as all of them are required for a biology major at my school).

 

[rafflecopter]

I know many people that were in similar situations as you (including myself) who were accepted into medical school. As long as you do well after making your switch to pursue medicine you will have an easy time with the admissions process. Good luck!

 

[Gibs]

I know many people that were in similar situations as you (including myself) who were accepted into medical school. As long as you do well after making your switch to pursue medicine you will have an easy time with the admissions process. Good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement. It is just a bit scary taking the jump, especially with no guarantee of acceptance or loans. Luckily, I happen to like life sciences, so if all else fails, I end up with a biology degree, to land in a related field?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Just know that if you want to be a doctor you don't have to major in biology. So if you still enjoy taking computer science courses you might just want to finish up that degree while taking the pre-requisites for medical school and maybe a few upper level courses versus doing a whole major filled with random courses.

 

[Gibs]

Just know that if you want to be a doctor you don't have to major in biology. So if you still enjoy taking computer science courses you might just want to finish up that degree while taking the pre-requisites for medical school and maybe a few upper level courses versus doing a whole major filled with random courses.

Oh, I know. The thing is that my biology major is almost verbatim with the state's medical school (2 physics (bio), 2+ Biology, 2 chemistry (org), calculus). I am planning on taking other courses that are(n't) required for the major as well, that I am simply interested in, such as anatomy, microbiology and genetics. A sort of intellectual curiosity I guess.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Oh, I know. The thing is that my biology major is almost verbatim with the state's medical school (2 physics (bio), 2+ Biology, 2 chemistry (org), calculus). I am planning on taking other courses that are(n't) required for the major as well, that I am simply interested in, such as anatomy, microbiology and genetics. A sort of intellectual curiosity I guess.

Well what I mean is that those together are only like 8 foundation courses. Your biology major if its anything like my schools will involve you taking 10 more classes beyond that of which 6 are required and 4 are elective. So what I'm saying is unless you're completely interested in all those courses you could feed your curiosity without directly majoring in biology. But regardless it seems like you enjoy biology with more enthusiasm than CompSci, which if the case, then by all means major in it.

 

[Gibs]

Well what I mean is that those together are only like 8 foundation courses. Your biology major if its anything like my schools will involve you taking 10 more classes beyond that of which 6 are required and 4 are elective. So what I'm saying is unless you're completely interested in all those courses you could feed your curiosity without directly majoring in biology. But regardless it seems like you enjoy biology with more enthusiasm than CompSci, which if the case, then by all means major in it.

Thanks!

 

[kwang10]

doesn't matter whatsoever what you major in, or how long it took. Grades, MCAT, EC gets your feet in the door. The interview gets you into medical school. They may ask about the changes in interview, but just be honest and tell them about your passion for medicine and its all gravy